Glial suppression and post-traumatic stress disorder: A cross-sectional study of 1,520 world trade center responders

Background: Chronically re-experiencing the memory of a traumatic event might cause a glial response. This study examined whether glial activation would be associated with PTSD in a study of responders present after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks without comorbid cerebrovascular disease. Methods: Plasma was retrieved from 1,520 WTC responders and stored for a cross-sectional sample of responders of varying levels of exposure and PTSD. Plasma levels (pg/ml) of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were assayed. Because stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases cause distributional shifts in GFAP levels, multivariable-adjusted finite mixture models analyzed GFAP distributions in responders with and without possible cerebrovascular disease. Results: Responders were aged 56.3 years and primarily male; 11.07% (n = 154) had chronic PTSD. Older age was associated with increased GFAP, whereas higher body mass was associated with decreased GFAP. Multivariable-adjusted finite mixture models revealed that severe re-experiencing trauma from 9/11 was associated with lower GFAP (B = −0.558, p = 0.003). Conclusion: This study presents evidence of reduced plasma GFAP levels among WTC responders with PTSD. Results suggest re-experiencing traumatic events might cause glial suppression

Endoscopic vein harvest in elective off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting

While traditional open vein harvest was related to postoperative wound complications, endoscopic vein harvest was developed to minimize the morbidity in the greater saphenous vein harvest procedure. In this study, these two procedures were compared for postoperative wound healing and long-term graft patency. We reviewed all consecutive patients undergoing elective off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting from January 2004 to December 2005 and collected data regarding wound complications and coronary events. Wound complications included dehiscence, excessive discharge, edema, altered sensation, cellulitis, hematoma, pain scale, and superficial and deep wound infection. Coronary events were defined as diagnosis of myocardial infarction during the first year’s follow-up. A total of 392 patients were included in our series, among whom 44 were excluded from the study due to emergent operation, preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump support, or the greater saphenous vein varicose characteristic, 78 belonged to open vein harvest group, and 270 to endoscopic vein harvest group. Wound complications were significantly less in the endoscopic group (5.2%) compared to the open group (19.2%) (P=0.0002). There was no significant difference on preoperative risk factors, total operative time, or hospitalization days. During one-year follow-up, both the early and late graft patency rates were similar between the two groups. Endoscopic vein harvest is safe and effective, which carries less risk for wound complications and is associated with better satisfaction and cosmetic result than the traditional greater saphenous vein harvest procedure. The endoscopic vein harvest also demonstrates a great long-term patency

Organic matter in space: from star dust to the Solar System

Organic compounds of high degree of complexity are now known to be widespread in the Universe, ranging from objects in our Solar System to distant galaxies. Through the techniques of millimeter-wave spectroscopy, over 140 molecules have been identified through their rotational transitions. Space infrared spectroscopy has detected the stretching and bending modes of compounds with aromatic and aliphatic structures. Analyses of samples of meteorites, comets, asteroids, and interplanetary dust also revealed a rich content of organic substances, some of which could be of extra-solar origin. We review the current state of understanding of the origin, evolution, nature, and distribution of organic matter in space. Also discussed are a number of unexplained astronomical phenomena whose origins could be traced to organic carriers. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.link_to_subscribed_fulltex